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Marte Trade: No More Square Pegs?

One of my annual blogs is about 'square pegs and round holes'...meaning the Mets former GM seemed to sign kids that were always without a position. Examples like Duda, Murphy, WFLores, Marte, Lutz, Carson, Mejia, Familia....the list could go on. Guys with raw talent but fielders who lacked good defensive skills and pitchers who lack command/focus/a third pitch who were destined to be shuttled around the field or back and forth between #5 starter and relieving. The BA Mets Top 30 Prospects list each year seemed littered with hitters with average to below average defensive skills who were blocked at their primary position [3B, 1B] or lacked the range or arm or instincts [Puello, Nieuwenhuis, Valdespin?] for a skill position...how many backup first basemen and fourth outfielders does a team need? How many mid-level relievers who throw 96 mph but cannot find home plate do you need? You see who Atlanta, Washington, Colorado, Arizona and St. Louis drafted after the Mets picked Havens #22, Javier [who?] Rodriguez #68 and Holt #33 [Friedrich #25--that's who I wanted as the draft unfolded after we got Ike Davis at #19, Schlereth #26, Lance Lynn #39, Kimbrel #96, DEspinosa #87] and you want to know why we cannot get 'lucky' once in awhile. At least we are not losing first round draft picks to sign overpriced free agents [BTW---the Angels got an extra first round pick from us when we signed KRod---they selected Randal Grichuk and Mike Trout with their back-to-back picks at #24 and our #25---our luck we woulda picked Grichuk!...and later in that day we picked Steve Matz #72 while KC took Wil Myers, listed as C/3B at #91].

Trading Marte may be the first of what I would call 'clearinghouse trades' to rid the roster of marginal talents to make room for better 'all around' players. Dumping Nickeas in the RA/TDA trade was also refreshing to see. Look at the 40 man roster from a year ago and now and you will see the Stinsons, Schwindens, Beatos, etc. gone. The perennial AAAA types should be next to go [McHugh, Hampson]. Yes you do need new talent to replace them but I think the FO has set its sights on signing or trading for skilled defensive players who can also hit [D'Arnaud vs. JPA] ---not just one or the other---and pitchers with at least three plus pitches [Wheeler and Syndergaard] and therefore top-of-the-rotation starting potential. They took gambles on Nimmo and Cecchini---we shall see if they pan out---but both are described as steady if not spectacular fielders who could stay at CF and SS and not be forced to LF or 2B when they reach the bigs...keeping their first round value intact if they are above average but not necessarily middle-of-the-order hitters. When there are no more fringe roster fillers you know that we, as a team and an organization, will have arrived.

Cecchini is going to be a much better hitter then everyone expects him to be. I don't understand all the hate about him.

I really hope so just so Met fans can eat their words. I'm all for being upset when the guy you want isn't drafted, but once the guy is in your farm system you should be supporting him and not bashing him every second you can.

Lindor, Baez, and Machado were picked before the Mets were able to pick.

Martinson and Saladino are both old and both suck.

Nick Franklin and Xander Bogaerts are going to be moved off SS.

Profar and Rodriguez are the only ones I'll give to you, but they were IFA signings, and it can be a crapshoot. Rodriguez still has a lot to prove, and he might not even stick at SS. Profar is obviously the best prospect in baseball, so the other 29 teams missed out on him.

Cecchini like I said profiles a lot like Zack Cozart(who is on that list) he has a lot of time to get stronger and better as a baseball player. The guy you see on videos now is not the guy you'll see in 5 years. Be patient.

A SS I like a lot right now is Trevor Story, but the Mets picked Fulmer and I can't blame them for that. Not sure if he's going to stick at SS either though, which is why a pick like Cecchini is a good one. He is going to stick at the position.

When judging a SS these are the tools in the order of which he should be critiqued.Shortstop
1. Fielding
2. Arm
3. Hitting
4. Speed
5. Power

"You don't know how to drink. Your whole generation, you drink for the wrong reasons. My generation, we drink because it's good, because it feels better than unbuttoning your collar, because we deserve it. We drink because it's what men do."

When judging a SS these are the tools in the order of which he should be critiqued.Shortstop
1. Fielding
2. Arm
3. Hitting
4. Speed
5. Power

Which is why Tejada is a good stopgap...he has the first three and little of the fourth and none of the fifth. If he stole 20 bases and batted .300 he could suffice as leadoff hitter or #2 hitter but if he is still on the team when Cecchini is ready he may be at second base---watch this--Havens stays healthy and becomes the new Tim Teufel for us for the next six years. I look forward to having a truly athletic wide ranging second baseman and Murphy isn't that guy either. Our current top of the order is Tejada Murphy....you need doubles to score them from second base---we need a leadoff hitter with speed [woulda liked Gose] and I still think Bourn's a good choice if we think we will contend starting in 2014..we won't suck now and he could be a core player for four plus years.

What good is it to be a great fielder if you aren't fast/agile enough to get to many balls? Arm is important for plays in the hole between 3B and 2B.

I'll take the average fielding SS with great range and arm over the great fielding SS with a good arm and average range or below.

You can disagree all you want, Baseball America has supplied this synopsis of what a scout envisions for the ideal player for the shortstop position.

"You don't know how to drink. Your whole generation, you drink for the wrong reasons. My generation, we drink because it's good, because it feels better than unbuttoning your collar, because we deserve it. We drink because it's what men do."